The purpose of Anything

BCN: Dec 2008- stories of the plane vol.I

2009-12-10T23:49:00.001+02:00

"Love eats you alive"

Feel.. but the heart is not beating faster; nor harder.

No tears to cry.
But why?

Suddenly i open my eyes.
She told me she loves me, didnt she?
THEN WHY???
Why....

I will sleep again.........

the loser takes it all

2009-09-06T14:21:00.004+03:00

Δεν πειραζει που δεν σου ηρθε η ζαρια,
τζογαρισες στο ονειρο κι εισαι ετοιμος για ολα,
το λεει κι ενα τραγουδι που μας μαθαιναν παλια..
ο χαμενος τα παιρνει ολα..

Cant wait for tonight... Dub Rebellion-Aggelakas & Episkeptes-Palyrria-Toshi1

i m going home...

2009-08-21T17:53:00.005+03:00

:)
for Stef... now that a new begining is at the door...
because home.. is where the music is what we want it to be.. is where our memories live... is where our people are... is where our heart is..
and this is IN us... :)
the rest.. we make it with our hands and we get there with our legs..

Love you Stef!
Be happy & good! ENJOY!
we are all with you!

where a life goes on...
dreams will keep me young...

You have your clock to remind you that we have time... :)

kai kati akoma...:
"Nothing's lost, all's gain
No more fret nor pain
No more stumbling on the way
No more longing for the day
Going to roam no more
Morning star lights the way
Restless dream all done
Shadows gone, break of day
Real life begun
There's no break, there's no end
Just a living on
Wide awake with a smile
Going on and on"

.... 24 July 2009

2009-07-24T03:50:00.002+03:00

No words.
Just something...

My story- AIESEC International 0809

2009-07-18T21:15:00.006+03:00

My story is a story full of fun, battles, learning, change, success, friends.

It started in February 08, when Juan came behind me and told me that he wants me to shine, and i was trembling like the fish out of the water..
it started when i got elected for a role that i had just an opinion about, coming from a very successful term as President of AIESEC in my country and an incredible team experience; determined, excited & scared but committed to see & support AIESEC globally to grow to the maximum, as my small AIESEC country did.

So, here i m coming in Rotterdam and this is where the party starts; this is where i ve experienced friendship, hard work, responsibillity, love, fights, fun, parties, laughter, community, house, conferences, mates, inspiration, exploring, challenge, plans, execution, numbers, learning, diversity, journeys, trust, fear, desire, questions, alcohol, family, focus, evolution, strange words (systen, quack, coff, officee etc), happiness, why's, desicions, losses, maturity, co operation, committment, planes, disappointement, people, spaces, success.

And now, i m full of owe for the people who surrounded me, full of respect for every single person who has driven & contributed to the organisational achievement that brought impact to the world;
full of gratitude for a team, for 21 other individuals that worked hard, that sacrificed a lot, that stood up for their beliefs, that they overdelivered what they promised, that became my friends, that supported me, that taught me so many things..

and the greatest learning of all...?
the greatest learning that i m taking with me is
CONNECTING TO DELIVER.
seeking for good, seeing complementary needs, creating mutual benefitial, win- win relationships, knowing that we are more powerful together than when we are apart, being honest & inclussive, being innovative & flexible, keeping things simple & cutting the crap.

And this is a fundamental principle of our community; a community that achieved 47% growth in the financial crisis.

I wish one day the world will become like this community; and i cant wait to receive news from my friends, from my team, AI 0809, that they are thriving in anything they do, no matter the path they follow, making the world this community.

Thank you Juan, Kate, Deepti, Mauricio, Lucy, Mo, Annika, Aditya, Emil, Li Zhen, Cindy, Laura, Lala, Pipe, Koni, Petra, Ewelina, Aman, Phil, Walter, Ellen.

I will always look up to you and i will be an ambassador of our message!

i think i will cry

2009-07-18T19:53:00.000+03:00

where is my mind...

2009-07-08T18:29:00.003+03:00

"Let s dance little stranger, show me secret sins.. seduce me once again.."

2009-07-08T17:06:00.003+03:00

Nouvelle Vague- my favorite

House of Action

2009-06-25T02:25:00.007+03:00

Welcome to my house..

The House where 2 Australians, 1 American and 1 Greek lived a year..
where a Brazilian lived for 5months.

a House that hosted parties.. GREAT parties;
"Opening", "Come as you are not", "I remember the night when...", dinner parties, movie parties, 80s nights..

sporcle nights... :)

a House that hosted people from all over the world; 1 month living with 15 more people, Lucy & I being the "hostel" managers- which coach is free tonight? which part of the floor? how many changes will we have tomorrow?

that hosted friends, hosted lovers, hosted family...

a House that hosted great conversations:
what are the drivers of the world today? what are our thoughts? why this is happening? how should i react?

a House that lived laughter, crying, love, fear, pain, ultimate friendship, jokes, happiness, fights, bad smells, floods, broken pipes, cold, sun, flowers, creativity, candles all over the place...

that is equiped with "recycled" furniture, posters, DIY constructions (our table, our selves..)

..drilling holes on the wall, taking the HORRIBLE garbage bags from the back yard when we came, the dead mouse, painting our walls, putting the fingerprints of our first visitors on the hall way, leaving messages of love & friendship on the black board, living for 2 months without hot water & heating system, having bucket showers, super barbeques, improvising, having crazy combinations of food for dinner..

The House of Action.
The Winners of Life.

Making the best (& the worst) of every day.

Creating our own family; our own world with our friends that we totally love..with our adventures & stories of which some will and some will not be forgotten.

A house that with a great frequency experiences arrivals, departures, arrivals and again departures...

soon, will experience one more departure, a big- no- return- departure from the current crew..
but as for its residents, for the house as well, this will also mean a new arrival!

New people will come for sure. New stories will be lived. New secrets will be said.

As we will continue our lives, as we will open a new cycle, the house will go through the same experience.. with us!

And as we will always remember each other..
as Marcio, Annika, Lucy, Kate and Sophie will always love & remember each other, we will always remember our house..
Same with our friends, and our visitors.Same with our team!

This is our House!

The House of Action! :)

See? In the end, we fixed it! We made it what it deserved to be!
And it will be always in the stories of AI 0809!

Cheers!

π- it s meaning and importance

2009-06-24T17:29:00.010+03:00

When i was in school, and i was having my history & philosophy classes our professor told us the story of π.
π= 3.1415926535897932384664338327950288419716939937510

the mathematical constant of the circle' s circumference..
the constant that shows balance, the golden line.

mmm... circle.. balance.. perfection.

The circle is a perfect symbol- every part of the circle has equal distance from the center; the real conversations happen in a circle- where everyone has the same power, where if one person leaves the circle will close without being spoiled and when a new person is coming in, the circle will welcome him/her again, without the dynamic to be changed.
a circle of an experience; the spyral- the evolution.

the power of the circle

Anyways, the story is about π!

Do you know that ancient Greek words can be translated in mathematical forms?
So the word αγαπη (love) translated in mathematical form is 3,14, which is... π!

Not at all strange, as π symbolises balance, love symbolises balance.

If we take away the ego emotions that associate love with pain, the pure love, the love that means serving and being unselfish brings balance.

The love that is in the nature; the love that is in the mother for the child..

This is how our ancestors, related love with god; unselfish love, a love that is a principle of christianity in its theory.

Interesting, nah? π= αγαπη (love)= balance= being unselfish= god..

So... i think that this means.. that love is god; or god is love!

Yea.. it s love.

Love is also a unique characteristic of the human being.
Of the core of what a human being is.

So, I think that when we, the people, the humans that conquer the Earth and try to master Nature, will connect with our core, with what and who we really are...

the world will be better; because we will be serving, we will be offering, we will be respecting.

As Juan always tells me "Be good. Give good and good will come back to you" :p
Maybe it s true.. maybe it s not.
But still, i think we should be giving & doing good.
It s in our nature..

In love, in the nature, in the balance, in the golden line, in the circle, in π.

Thank you Mo mu :)

HOME- the Earth

2009-06-23T18:49:00.003+03:00

Earth is our HOME; see below the trailer of an AMAZING movie;
how the humans have changed the balance that is so essential for life? what the effects of it? how the planet, the life, the nature, our lives will be influenced & changed in the near future?

If you want to watch the whole movie, click HERE

The Planet

2009-06-23T00:00:00.002+03:00

Take some time and watch it all.. and think about you and your impact to the environment, our environment..maybe we can still fix things but it will take so much effort..because its us who caused the damages of this large scale in the first place..and its definitely only us who can change it..

THE music

2009-06-21T20:40:00.001+03:00

Johny Cash- my favorites

Aint me babe

Flossom Prison

Tsosmi' s statements

2009-06-21T20:22:00.005+03:00

Translation:
"Throwing art at your houses.

There will be a city that will really belong to her citizens; where they will be free to write whatever they want on the walls, shape the public spaces as they wish...

Today i ve dreamt of a city different from the one that i m living in..
A city full of tall buildings and pirate flags..
A grey city full of colors and lights; drawings & quotes on her walls.
A city with really tall trees and ivys, drowning her buildings.
A city full of sounds, noise and music.
A city where bridges connect the balconys.
A city full of festivals and creativity where the people dance, love and share"

This is the city i want to live.. adding the bikes.. :)

Σε αγαπω Τσοσμηηηηηη!!!

because you love these words..

2009-06-21T19:38:00.003+03:00

Linoleum- NOFX
για τον Τσοσμη που παίζει σήμερα

Where would you like to wake up tomorrow?

2009-06-21T17:57:00.003+03:00

London:

Brooklyn:

ah.... :) i will keep this to myself this time... :)

Fifty People, One Question is a simple project with surprising results. We go to a place, ask fifty people the same question and film their responses.
Visit the website here

What would you wish to happen by the end of the day?

2009-06-21T17:38:00.005+03:00

By the end of today... i wish i will be able to have a wish for every day... :)

Fifty People, One Question is a simple project with surprising results. We go to a place, ask fifty people the same question and film their responses.
Visit the website here

ok... there is hope!!! :)

2009-06-21T13:57:00.007+03:00

BIKES- BIKES- BIKES-BIKES- BIKES- BIKES- BIKES- BIKES

What comes to my head when i think about bicycles;

morning, going to the office..
students are going to school, old ladies are going for shopping, families have their kids in the front sits.. everyone is biking!!!

Crossing the Erasmus bridge with Annika & Mauricio going to Hotel New York.. looking up the beautiful metal white lines as i m running under them, the sea is sparkling under the sunshine...

Going with Lucy to the flea market buying veggies, fruits, flowers and many other house stuffs, putting them all on our bikes, struggling to fit everything in the pockets, the bike itself and our hands and backpacks..

Trying to find balance with Deepti, the two of us on the bike, looking desperately for beers in the middle of the night, or going from the office at home and back...

Falling off the bike in the middle of the biggest crossroad with Sofia, while driving her to the train station..

Drunk night/early morning drives back home, not able to see in front of me, but happy after chilling, dancing, laughing, loving, caring, fighting and all these cool things that happen when you are out with your friends!

feeling free..
content..
calm..
happy...
like a kid ready to explore the world!

I wish bikes will come in Greece as well.. giving the chance to people to be more free, more happy, feel on their faces the wind, the smell, listen voices & noices, go fast, balance, be fit.. ;)

Today i m happy because i found that there is hope..

Randomly came across a wonderfull blog of a greek cyclist, exploring Athens- my favorite city, with his bike- my favorite transport mean (together with trains & planes) art, people, places- my favorite things sharing stories, thoughts, emotions, experiences... i will follow his stories here; it s a good inspiration & preparation..

Today...
i think i m less afraid that i m going back :)

Songs I love :)

2009-06-21T11:15:00.002+03:00

This one reminds me of Portugal (though its Brazilian):

And this one I just love!

An amazing world

2009-06-20T21:17:00.007+03:00

How much do we know about our world? How much do we know about the thousands different cultures? How much do we know about the thousands different traditions?

I remember when i was in the kindergarden and i was taught about the 4 different cultures that exist:
the chinese: that had the vietnamese hat, japanese eyes; their skin was of the color of the north chinese and it was really yellow and were leaving in pagodas- that ok, are all around mainland china, hong kong, thailand, vietnam, cambodia etc etc :)

Then there were the indian indigenous of Latin America;
red skin, bids all over, living in the forests, running like horses, talking with the animals, understanding the nature as noone else, having square faces and big eyes

The black Africans:
all black people had the same black skin, curly hair, were walking around naked & barefoot, wearing bones to be pretty, running like tigers and living in huts.

then the white ones; ourselves...

But no one told us about the Arabs, the Scandinavians, the Russians, the Indians, the Australians, the Aboriginals, the Japanese, the Chinese, the Male, the thousands of different tribes that exist in Africa even in the same city, the same village- eg. the Luo, the Kikuyu, the Meru..
no one told us about the Peruvians, the Central Americans, the Mexicans, the South Africans that are black and white, the Ethiopians..

the world is so big and so beautiful..my god, it s so beautiful! so diverse, so different, so contradictory, so colorful, so smelly, so clean and so dirty, so miserable, so happy, so free, so conservative, so liberal, so traditional, so pure...

Our horizon is endless and the borders that human race is setting are relative. I dont believe in boarders in the way they are nowadays.

I understand that there needs to be clear distinction over the area that certain people live etc etc BUT i dont believe in the boarders between nations, between traditions, between people.
i dont believe in boarders that limit people's mobility, people's chances; limit innovation, diversity, discovery, evolution, knowledge...

Today i ve read about Polynesia. It s somewhere, there in the Pacific, over New Zealand..
Polynesia, with the Easter Islands, Hawai, Tahiti, the Cook islands, the Samoa islands..

Do you know about the political institutions in Samoa or in Tahiti?
Do you know about Rapa Nui and that at 1860s the inhabitants destroyed completely the earth because of the agriculture, and only the 2% of its nature was left there?
that almost the enitre population was removed from the island because of slavery, famine and poverty? that there were spices of landbirds that are extinct?
Do you know that technology and information arrive there many many years later because they are far away from anything?

Do you know about the great dances and traditions they have?

Take a look here and in the following videos

National Geographic- Hula the island:

Hula Hula- the Men:

Women Dancing & singing (for more check here)

Man.. the world is great!!! I love the world..

I wonder how many things our planet, the nature, the human race and tradition can teach us?

The Genographic Project- National Geographic

2009-06-20T21:07:00.002+03:00

Online History of the World over the past 7,000 years- Great project by National Geographic

(click on the image)

The choices we make

2009-06-20T13:53:00.006+03:00

The choices we make; and the trade offs...

Very interesting article by Amit Varma, whose blog, India Uncut, is the most widely read blog in India starting from 2004, awarded many times throughout the last years;

"There are far too many smart, educated, talented people operating at quarter speed, unsure of their place in the world, contributing far too little to the productive engine of modern civilization. There are far too many people who look like they have their act together but have yet to make an impact. You know who you are. It comes down to a simple gut check: You either love what you do or you don’t. Period.

So do you love what you do?"

Do read the complete article here

Life management principles

2009-06-20T00:52:00.004+03:00

Drunk from the ocean...

2009-06-19T23:10:00.005+03:00

Sea...

I m very lucky because i m leaving in one of the biggest ports in Europe- Rotterdam..

and not only that, but as the Netherlands are, water is EVERYWHERE.. under our house, IN our house (when the pipes broke and the ground floor turned into a lake), around us..

canals everywhere! the old port 15minutes by bike! the big harbor 40minutes ride!

Water.. as all old civilations & traditions say, water has healing powers. And it does actually..!!

How many times for example we are totally wasted and the only thing that we need to make us feel better is the water?
How many times we are sick and by drinking enough water we feel better? more alive?
How many times we are tired and the only think that makes us well is a shower?
How many times we are tired and we drink water and get more energy?

The human body is consisted of 58%- 78% of water..

Healing powers for the sould and the body.. for the mind!

When i m stressed out, or my head is full of thoughts, i m confused, i have all these crap on me and i go to the swimming pool, then i know that everything will be fine.. and it always is! -sooner or later

I really want to live by the sea!!!
Close to water that will make me calm, that will take every bad emotion and thought away; that can take us apart but bring us together..
Close to the water that is alive, with emotions- when it s angry it has waves, when it s calm is crystal clear.. when it s happy the sun is playing around the small waves..

This is my dream island where i will go with Ioanna to retire when we are older.. :) with our dogs, our art, our stories...

And i will be evey day drunk from the ocean!

(i dont know the artist, but i follow his blog! it s really good! You can find it here)

African wisdom

2009-06-19T21:50:00.003+03:00

Connecting songs...

2009-06-19T19:46:00.010+03:00

We all have OUR songs..

You know which songs..

...the ones that whenever you listen, your heart just explodes because of the love that you feel inside; because of the memories they accompany; because of the experiences on which they were the music background?

This is for us THE song: No te pido los flores :)

4 Greek friends traveling around Oman with a Colombian listening to latin American music..
the power of the friendship, discovery, excitement, curiocity & joy.

Enjoy it with us!

Playing for Change - Don't Worry

2009-06-19T19:37:00.005+03:00

One of the most amazing movements ever! We totally support :-) Enjoy more songs on YouTube, at user's PlayingForChange account.

Happy

2009-06-19T19:18:00.003+03:00

Created at Vancoucer Film School by the student Michael Lewicki. Found at user's ItsNotATuma account on YouTube.

Beautiful Losers

2009-06-19T18:59:00.003+03:00

What happens to our creativity when we grow up?
What happens when a group of artists come together and build a community?
How a generation of Do It Yourself artists was formed?

More stories in the most beautiful movie:

Change yourself

2009-06-19T17:15:00.004+03:00

from my favorite cafe URBAN, in my city ROTTERDAM having breakfast with my Australians KATE & LUCE

What matters and what does not? Who we are and who we are not?

2009-06-19T16:18:00.006+03:00

I m reflecting recently very much on the influence that the environment and the context can have to our personalities, to what we show we are, to what we think we are.

Which are the characteristics that we really own and which are the ones that we adapt from the beautiful individuals that we have around us?
Which are the characteristics and the competencies that we aqcuire because we are in a certain situation or because the culture is like that?

When an experience is ending, when a circle is closing, when a part of your life comes to an end how do we become aware of what had happened? Of what was the impact of our behaviors and actions to everything that is surrounding us?

Not only when the end comes, but also throughout; how often do we capture what is happening to us?
How often do we crosscheck the perceptions of the others on what we thing we are, on what we think we do?
How often do we take pictures of ourselves at different moments and compare them so that we can become aware of the evolution, the compromise, the characteristics that are always constant and the ones that come up to the surface or are being surpressed?

And if we do that.. are we open to this feedback? are we open to the truth? do we know what to keep and what not?

How can we support the people around us & ourselves, to become more selfless, to become ready to let things go, to grasp opportunities to learn, to develop, to change!! to become better...

So in this topic, we play different roles; we can be a receiver but also a sender. But, are we accepting the responsibillity that we have over the development of the others?

and even if we do take the step, to talk to people, to give feedback and be honest and the other person doesnt listen? doesnt want to be helped, when should one let it go?

when should one be selfless and insist or selfish and dont bother anymore- or maybe it s the other way around?
- you are selfless when you let it go, respect the person's choice not to be helped or be selfish and insist to do something that is good in your perception...

Are we authentic to ourselves and to others?
Do we express what we feel, what we think, what we see freely? And do the other people take it in, respect it or act upon it?

M... i wish the world one day will be authentic; honest; expressive.

But i wonder..
Does this matter or does it not?

What matters to me

2009-06-19T00:40:00.005+03:00

A digital design video from a competition for a VFS Scholarship. From the user Jr0carnert on YouTube. And one of our favorites :-)

100 & 1 faces

2009-06-19T00:21:00.005+03:00

A wonderfully creative video by the user julienlassort on YouTube. Enjoy it :-)